Today, I just got through installing a woodburning stove out in the workshop. It is a Logwood 2421 made by the United States Stove Company. I have used fireplaces for years, but never a stove. Does anyone have any tips on how to best use these? For instance, there is sliding draft plate, flue damper and draft control knob on the stove. What control or combinations of controls do you use for what?
There are also two lids and a lid support on top of the stove. What is the purpose of these? Do you add logs through the top through these lids or should the logs go in through the door in the front while the fire is burning?
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Incidentally, this “United States Stove Company” stove was made in China! To their credit, the castings were high quality and everything fit together very well. Thanks.
Replies
since you are admitedly a novice, do you mind if I back up a step to make sure the stove is safely installed?
Each joint in the single wall interior pipe needs at least three sheet metal screws secureing it.
The floor protection of noncombustible material is sized according to instructions in the UL approved literature with it - right?
Generally this is 12" to either side of the openning, and 18" in front of it.
Ok - first fires - start small ones to get the hang of it. This will be safer and you will have a haze of blue smoke from paint burning off. You will also be seasonning the castings. Too hot too fast is not good for cast iron, especially chinese which is more prone to cracking. ( the other line of thought is to go ahead and heat her up good and red the first couple times to test her and send back bad castings - not my thinking tho)
You should lay the fire and touch her off. Close door and open dampers.
After fire is burning along well, you can close the flue damper half and slow the burn rate by controling how much air gets to the fire with the lower slide on the door. choke it way down and you are more likely to get creosote buildup in the pipe, depending on what kind of wood you are burning.
When you trake ashes out, put them in a metal container, and immediately get them out of the shop. Coals can smolder in ashes for a week, either sparking off a fire, or releasing CO2 gas.
Don't throw a pile of shavings and dust on a burning fire, or expect a mild to extreme explosion if you do. To burn dust and shavings, put them in a paper bag wound tight to make a log.
If you have had the fire choked down for awhile, you have heated flamable gasses in the stove that are waiting for ozygen to flare up. So you don't want to swing the door open suddenly. Crack the door gently open a half inch, holding it firmly to let the flue flow get going before swinging it open or you can create a quick backdraft and find the combination of hot flameable gases and oxygen under you nose to be somewhat exciting.
Keep the scraps and shavings swept back three feet from the stove all around.
Be alert.
And enjoy being warm.
Excellence is its own reward!
Thank you very much for your comments and especially the safety tips. I had kind of guessed to go the low fire route first, especially with all of the smells this thing is putting off. You are right on about the blue smoke! Boy, does it stink!. At your recommendation, I just went out and throttled the damper to half. I very much appreciate the tips on burning sawdust and opening of doors.
The shop is a steel building on concrete slab. I generally exceeded all of the recommended clearances to walls, etc, even though all walls and materials are non-combustibles. The back of the stove is 3 feet from the back wall. The sides are at least 12 feet from the nearest walls. Before I began, I checked with our building inspector and also the state mechanical inspector, who incidentally, are friends and wonderful resources for information. Our building inspector was actually a general contractor for many years and specialized in commercial steel buildings, but I'm getting away from the topic. Checked UBC and related literature as well as the manufacturers info.
We have high winds here so I went with four screws on everything that is above the roof but just used three on the inside pipe sections. Also got the top up a little higher than called for by code but wanted to make sure that the chimney would draw well. Had a little bit of a challenge customizing the roof jack to fit the "R" profile of the roof decking but finally came up with something that looks halfway acceptable and will shed water. You would have got a laugh out of me building the chimney. I set the stove and started adding up the two-foot long joints of stovepipe. As it got higher, I got the ladder and kept going up. Was wondering how I was going to handle the stove pipes, install the screws, etc 12 foot off the floor when it occurred to me... assemble the rest of the sections on the floor and slide them down from the top, through the roof! Duh!
We have had fireplaces before, and In fact, I once installed a zero clearance unit. Already, I can see that the stove behaves much diferently and actually has some control associated with it. I think I will like it! Sure appreciate your help as I am stumbling around in the dark and just feeling my way along. take care.
Edited 1/3/2004 10:52:35 PM ET by Sawdust
One more thing I forgot. You would have figured it ou pretty quickly anyways.
When you have the flue damper closed pat or all the way, open it before you open the door to add wood or to strat a new fire. Otherwise, you'll have a shop full of smoke..
Excellence is its own reward!
Thanks! The flu damper has considerable control over the fire. I think the smell is subsiding a little bit but I have retreated to the house anyway. Will check it frequently throughout the evening though. Cold front coming through tomorrow so hope I can run the stove without the paint smell tomorrow. We'll see. take care.
Is the male end of the pipe pointing up or down. This is important.
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....
Down, per instructions
I don't know for sure why the crimped (male) end is supposed to go down though. I would guess that it is a condensation issue though. Perhaps products of incomplete combustion could condense and back down on the outside of the chimney and catch fire? Makes sense. Is there some other reason?
Lets the kreosote drain / flow back into your stove instead of leaking out at the joints.
If it were on the outside of the pipe you would have a fire hazzard to contend with when it puddled at the bottom of the pipe.
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....
Thanks!
Well, the new stove is about cooled down from the first firing which went well. Many thanks to everyone for the help, tips and suggestions. Working in the shop at night just won't be the same anymore! Need to start thinking about upgrading the lighting now....
Sawdust check out this web site (question section ) Lots of great tips
http://www.hearth.com
Greg
Thanks for the web site. I looked at it and bookmarked it for future reference.